# C5 corvette paint correction **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Automotive\ **Created:** [February 8, 2016, 12:12pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589 "2016-02-08T12:12:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ryanbgb22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@ryanbgb22](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ryanbgb22)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 12:12pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/1 "2016-02-08T12:12:59Z")
The past month or two I’ve been spending some time here and there cleaning up the paint on my c5. The car had a ton of light to moderate scratches, and a few really deep scratches. I’m over 140,000 miles now (DD it almost every day March - November), and there were a lot of areas on the car that really showed the age. This is far from a perfection job, but I think there has been a pretty huge improvement and will probably be worth my time in the resale if/when I decide to sell. Also, keep in mind that the picture selection is pretty poor as I didn’t intend on making a thread or really documenting at all. Here is the car before: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36119&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36119&stc=1) ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36120&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36120&stc=1) ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36121&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36121&stc=1) Here are the pad’s I used. Picked these up locally from Al Wil in 3 different stages: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36122&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36122&stc=1) Step 1. Find a large vessel for beer so you make less trips to the basement: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36123&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36123&stc=1) ---
**Author:** ![ryanbgb22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@ryanbgb22](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ryanbgb22)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 12:15pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/2 "2016-02-08T12:15:15Z")
Here are some before’s, in no particular order: Rear passenger fender: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36124&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36124&stc=1) ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36125&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36125&stc=1) ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36126&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36126&stc=1) Passenger door: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36127&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36127&stc=1) Driver fender: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36128&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36128&stc=1) ---
**Author:** ![ryanbgb22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@ryanbgb22](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ryanbgb22)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 12:17pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/3 "2016-02-08T12:17:01Z")
Driver door, DEEP scratches right down to the metal: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36129&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36129&stc=1) ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36130&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36130&stc=1) ---
**Author:** ![ryanbgb22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@ryanbgb22](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ryanbgb22)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 12:21pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/4 "2016-02-08T12:21:01Z")
And some during and after pictures: Driver’s door filled and leveled, 1st stage polish done (don’t have any of the finished product). You can barely see any evidence of those deep scratches. ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36132&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36132&stc=1) ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36131&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36131&stc=1) Rear passenger fender after: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36133&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36133&stc=1) ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36134&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36134&stc=1) ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36135&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36135&stc=1) ---
**Author:** ![GV1390](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/gv1390/32/5432_2.png) [@GV1390](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/GV1390)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 12:22pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/5 "2016-02-08T12:22:29Z")
Looks good so far! Also, you aren’t drinking enough if the pictures are still coming out clear. :lol: ---
**Author:** ![ryanbgb22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@ryanbgb22](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ryanbgb22)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 12:23pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/6 "2016-02-08T12:23:23Z")
Some fill and wet sand: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36137&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36137&stc=1) Door after: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36136&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36136&stc=1) Fender: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36137&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36137&stc=1) ---
**Author:** ![ryanbgb22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@ryanbgb22](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ryanbgb22)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 12:26pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/7 "2016-02-08T12:26:32Z")
Some after’s / Currents: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36138&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36138&stc=1) ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36139&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36139&stc=1) I’m currently working on the top, this is what it looked like: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36140&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36140&stc=1) And here’s how it currently sits. I got all the way down to 400grit to try to get past the shitty areas: ![http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36141&stc=1](http://www.nyspeed.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36141&stc=1) ---
**Author:** ![93dx\_hatch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/9/90ced4/32.png) [@93dx\_hatch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/93dx_hatch)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 12:35pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/8 "2016-02-08T12:35:08Z")
Cool, what products are you using? Can you describe how you are filling the scratches? Looks great!! ---
**Author:** ![maxwell](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/maxwell/32/6524_2.png) [@maxwell](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/maxwell)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/9 "2016-02-08T12:53:25Z")
noticeable difference. Nice work. ---
**Author:** ![XwalkerX](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/xwalkerx/32/7598_2.png) [@XwalkerX](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/XwalkerX)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 1:23pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/10 "2016-02-08T13:23:19Z")
impressive work for sure! i wish i had the time/patience to do this kind of stuff ---
**Author:** ![Onyx\_Z32](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/onyx_z32/32/7581_2.png) [@Onyx\_Z32](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Onyx_Z32)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 2:06pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/11 "2016-02-08T14:06:10Z")
Great job :tup: ---
**Author:** ![ubengineering](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ubengineering/32/5171_2.png) [@ubengineering](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ubengineering)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/12 "2016-02-08T15:37:06Z")
Damn please explain how you do this and the products you use! ---
**Author:** ![Wahoo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/wahoo/32/8265_2.png) [@Wahoo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Wahoo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/13 "2016-02-08T16:24:27Z")
Looks awesome! I still need to finish sand my car… And then buff and polish. ---
**Author:** ![ryanbgb22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@ryanbgb22](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ryanbgb22)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/14 "2016-02-08T17:57:46Z")
> [@ubengineering](#): > > Damn please explain how you do this and the products you use! In short, for the door scratches: Polish the area with the heaviest abrasive I have to clear as much of the scratch as possible. Fill in many coats (10+) of touchup paint with a very fine point, (tooth pick, or a Extremely tiny brush made for it). Making sure that the level of the touchup paint is above the surface of the rest of the car. Wetsand extremely lightly over the area to bring the high spots down to the same level. This is a process of sanding for 15-30 seconds, then wiping dry to see where you are. Be prepared to sand for up to an hour, checking your level very often. You will know when you have the touchup spots back to level because everything will look uniform dull (from being sanded). Everything will be the same color with the same sanding marks. Now you polish with the heaviest abrasive you have. Expect to go over the area 3-4 times working the polish completely out with a rotary before the sand marks are done. Work your way up in stages (2 more stages is what I did) to bring to a perfect shine. I can take some pictures of a step-by-step next time I do it. It’s not hard, just very time consuming. I am definitely no professional, but In my early college days ~10 years ago, I made a decent income doing small jobs like this. What I did here would easily fetch 200-300 for just the door scratches. ---
**Author:** ![2TurboZ](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/2turboz/32/7577_2.png) [@2TurboZ](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/2TurboZ)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/15 "2016-02-08T18:02:59Z")
:tup: ---
**Author:** ![ubengineering](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ubengineering/32/5171_2.png) [@ubengineering](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ubengineering)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/16 "2016-02-08T18:59:03Z")
+Rep ---
**Author:** ![Norb\_O](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/norb_o/32/5189_2.png) [@Norb\_O](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Norb_O)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 4:54am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/17 "2016-02-11T04:54:36Z")
looks a million times better. I’m surprised you can make those scratches go away without having to repaint/blend the whole door. What did your pads run you? ---
**Author:** ![ryanbgb22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@ryanbgb22](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ryanbgb22)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 5:35am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/18 "2016-02-11T05:35:59Z")
> [@Norb O](#): > > looks a million times better. I’m surprised you can make those scratches go away without having to repaint/blend the whole door. What did your pads run you? I think these pads were 60 total for one light, one medium and one heavy (forgot the actual numbers on the values they were). BUT there were 2 in each pack, so 6 pads for somewhere around $60 was a great deal. They are far better than any of the other pads I’ve used from online. These were 3M purchased at Al Wil Supply on Transit. ---
**Author:** ![JayS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jays/32/15375_2.png) [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 5:45am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/19 "2016-02-11T05:45:42Z")
Really cool writeup and what a difference. :tup: ---
**Author:** ![jimmyfloyd](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jimmyfloyd/32/3077_2.png) [@jimmyfloyd](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/jimmyfloyd)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2016, 11:44am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589/20 "2016-02-11T11:44:51Z")
did you do any clear over the scratched/touched up areas or does the paint you use include it? [Next page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/c5-corvette-paint-correction/273589.md?page=2)